IAMES by the grace of God , King of Great Britaine , France and Ireland , Defender of the faith , &c. To all and singuler persons , to whom it may appertaine , Greeting . Although we doe sufficiently know by our experience in the Office of Regall dignitie ( in which by the fauour of Almighty God , we haue bene placed and exercised these many yeeres ) as also by the obseruation which we haue made of other Christian Princes exemplary actions , how farre the absolutenesse of Soueraigne power extendeth it selfe , And that in regard thereof wee need not yeeld accompt to any person vnder God , for any action of ours , which is lawfully grounded vpon that iust Prerogatiue : Yet such hath euer bene , and shal be our care and desire to giue satisfaction to our neighbour Princes , and friendes , in any action which may haue the least relation to their Subiects and Estates , as wee haue thought good ( by way of friendly premonition ) to declare vnto them all , and to whom soeuer it may appertaine , as followeth .

Whereas we haue bene contented since our comming to the Crowne , to tolerate an indifferent and promiscuous kinde of libertie to all our friendes whatsoeuer , to fish within our Streames , and vpon any of our Coastes of Great Britaine , Ireland , and other adiacent Islands , so farre foorth as the permission or vse thereof might not redound to the empeachment of our Prerogatiue Royall , nor to the hurt and damage of our louing Subiects , whose preseruation and flourishing estate wee hold our selfe principally bound to aduance before all worldly respects : So finding that our conniuence therein , hath not onely giuen occasion of ouer great encrochments vpon our Regalities , or rather questioning of our Right , but hath bene a meanes of much dayly wrongs to our owne people that exercise the trade of Fishing , as ( either by the multitude of strangers , which doe preoccupy those places , or by the iniuries which they receiue most commonly at their handes ) our Subiects are constrained to abandon their Fishing , or at the least are become so discouraged in the same , as they hold it better for them , to betake themselues to some other course of liuing , whereby not onely diuers of our Coast-Townes are much decayed , but the number of Mariners dayly diminished , which is a matter of great consequence to our Estate , considering how much the strength thereof consisteth in the power of Shipping , and vse of Nauigation : Wee haue thought it now both iust and necessary ( in respect that wee are now by Gods fauour liueally and lawfully possessed , aswell of the Island of Great Britaine , as of Ireland , and the rest of the Isles adiacent ) to bethinke our selues of good and lawfull meanes to preuent those inconueniences , and many others depending vpon the same . In the consideration whereof , as wee are desirous that the world may take notice , that wee haue no intention to deny our Neighbours and Allyes , those fruits and benefits of Peace and friendship , which may be iustly expected at our handes in honour and reason , or are affoorded by other Princes mutually in the point of Commerce , and exchange of those things which may not prooue preiudiciall to them : So because some such conuenient order may bee taken in this matter , as may sufficiently prouide for all these important considerations which doe depend thereupon ; Wee haue resolued first to giue notice to all the world , That our expresse pleasure is , that from the beginning of the Moneth of August next comming , no person of what Nation or qualitie soeuer , being not our naturall borne Subiect , bee permitted to fish vpon any of our Coasts and Seas of Great Britaine , Ireland , and the rest of the Isles adiacent , where most vsually heretofore any Fishing hath bene , vntill they haue orderly demaunded and obtained Licenses from vs , or such our Commissioners , as wee haue authorized in that behalfe , Viz. at London for our Realmes of England and Ireland , and at Edenborough for our Realme of Scotland ; Which Licenses , our intention is , shal be yeerely demaunded , for so many Vessels and Ships , and the Tonnage thereof , as shall intend to Fish for that whole yeere , or any part thereof , vpon any of our Coastes and Seas as aforesaid , vpon paine of such chastisement , as shal be fit to bee in flicted vpon such wilfull offendours .